As companies like Apple and Motorola remove headphone jacks to accelerate our move towards the wireless age, the search for cheap wireless alternatives is at an all time high. Consumers quickly realize that going wireless is about much more than just cutting the cord. While Bluetooth technology has solved many issues like tangled cords, it introduces its challenges like range and battery life. Kinivo has an answer with their BTH260 Bluetooth Sports Headphones. These headphones retail for $79.99 but can be found for $44.99 on Amazon Prime.
Review Usage
I have been using the Kinivo BTH260 headphones exclusively for almost three weeks. I listen to music and podcasts daily while at work and the gym.
Build and Quality
The Kinivo BTH260 Bluetooth headphones are made entirely of plastic and do feel a bit cheap, but do not let that fool you, these headphones can take a beating and are sweat proof with an IPX7 rating. I have subjected these headphone to being stored in my pocket while at work, thrown in my locker, stored in the bottom of my backpack, and I have dropped them on at least two occasions. Despite my rough habits with my headphones, they survived and are still kicking.
More impressive than the BTH260’s ability to stand up to my abuse is how Kinivo was able to make the plastic frame of the headphones comfortable. After an hour or two of listening to music, I was able to adjust to the headphones sitting on the tops of my ears. The padding resting against your ears is also incredibly soft and comfortable, but it is worth noting that the pleather pads did make my ears sweat while wearing them for extended periods of time.
The standout feature on the Kinivo BTH260 Bluetooth headphones has to be the battery life. The box claims 25 hours of battery life on a single charge, and I easily got 22+ hours during the first six days of having the headphones. After my second charge, I got about seven days of use and 23+ hours. I am still working on burning through my third charge since getting the headphones 20 days ago. I have personally never owned headphones with this kind of longevity, and it is a breath of fresh air.
The sound quality of the headphones is where I begin to draw issue with the full retail price of the Kinivo BTH260s. While these headphones do a great job at staying on your head during various activities, the bass is not very punchy, and even spoken word can begin to garble together if the environment around you is mildly loud.
The maximum volume on the BTH260s is not enough to get you through many situations. These headphones may get as loud as many other “premium” headphones, but due to their on ear nature, they block almost no ambient sounds, making it, so any outside noise is a problem. On multiple occasions, I found myself extremely frustrated with the inability to listen to my podcasts and music because the exterior noise was loud enough to drown out the headphones. I find this to be my biggest complaint about the Kinivo BTH260s headphones.
Conclusion
Kinivo has created a set of sports headphones with amazing battery life, and ok sound in quiet environments. In ideal conditions, these headphones are an excellent companion for any athlete or professional who needs long battery life and does not want to worry about headphones falling out all day. Start to mix loud environments into the formula, and the value these headphones represent quickly diminishes. At only $45 on Amazon Prime for wireless freedom, Kinivo’s BTH260s will be a good value for many.